‘Labeled,’ the fashion web series, shows the other side of the industry

To work in the fashion industry is a cherished dream. But it is not an easy feat. The tyranny shown in the movies “The Devil Wears Prada” and “Zoolander” is not completely fictional. The ridiculousness shown in the movies goes down to in the industry too. The industry cares about just one thing, and that is looking fab. To confirm these unsaid and unaccepted truths, there is a new web series comedy titled “Labeled.”The series reinforces and confirms the idea that the fashion scene is highly difficult and crazy at times.

Labeled righteously labels the industry

Labeled is based on the lives of group of employees in public relations for a prestigious fashion house called Mirello. These employees are fed up of the tyranny of their jobs, where they are expected to do things like remove trash bag liners because their boss feels they look like condoms. It is a story of tired employees who are fed up of serving coffee to showroom visitors — in spite of having physical problems — and are treated worse than trash.

The series is created by Lindsey Goodman and Jessie Katz. Lindsey is a former THR staffer, and Jessie is a current Billboard content creator. They both have recently launched their production company, Piano Factory Pictures. The series “Labeled” is crafted out of their own experience of working together at Prada in 2006.

Goodman shared her experience, and she seemed very bitter about the way companies treat their employees in the fashion industry. “Both of our first real jobs out of college were working for this famous fashion brand, and everyone, including us, assumed that world was inherently very glamorous. Though there were some definite perks to the job — cool parties, celebrity encounters — the glamour was really more on the part of the people buying the clothes, not the ones selling it. The ones who can barely pay their rent are constantly being screamed at in Italian; wrench their backs lugging around garment bags that weigh more than they do; and are just hoping to pass off their own H&M wardrobe as haute couture,” says Goodman.

Creators share their realities

On being asked how “Labeled” was born, Goodman and Katz share that they realized that juxtaposition became increasingly hilarious and absurd the longer they worked there. They were dreaded and tired of their jobs. They started imagining ridiculous scenarios. These absurd ideas translated into a plot and led to the birth of “Labeled.” The show is not only commendable for its hilarity, but the characters are well dressed too. They have managed a collection of vintage items from SoHo’s Pink Clouds.

The series is inspired by a lot of real-life experiences. Kats explains, “The point of the show is to take that reality and ratchet up the absurdity so that it becomes its own funhouse mirror to what we actually went through. Of course, people will know where we worked, and if they follow the fashion world at all they might recognize certain larger-than-life personalities that we couldn’t have exaggerated if we tried. ‘No one said fashion is for the faint of heart’ is probably the truest line in the show.”The first three episodes of “”Labeled have been premiered exclusively on Pret-a-Reporter. They have projected a 12-episode season.